Clean Slate
by SoundEffectsAndOverdramatics-x
Summary: She thought he was dead...not on his watch. Bruce gives Selina an ultimatum. Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle. ONESHOT. Don't own The Dark Knight. R&R! Set after Dark Knight Rises. Its mostly Selina's thoughts.


**She thought he was dead...not on his watch. Bruce gives Selina an ultimatum. Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle. ONESHOT. Don't own The Dark Knight. R&R! Set after Dark Knight Rises. Its mostly Selina's thoughts.  
**

* * *

She curls up underneath the covers and hugs herself around the middle, trying to stop the pain she feels all over her body...and her heart.

She has no idea why it's affecting her so bad...

He meant nothing to her. Sure, there were a couple of stolen kisses...nothing more.

But...he _died. _

He was dead. Gone. And for what? The people of Gotham. The people who had no idea who he even was...

Bruce Wayne. The Batman.

So different. But so alike...

And now they're both gone from the world, and Gotham mourns one more than the other.

"Hey, Selina? You okay?"

She tightens her hold on the covers before Holly can come over and snuggle, like she always does.

"Sel?"

She still doesn't reply. She hears Holly sigh and leave the room, shutting the door behind her and Selina releases her hold on the covers and shoves them off herself.

She's dressed in jeans and a singlet...not her usual wear. But for once, she doesn't care. For once, she just wants to sit in her room, cry, and forget about her hatred and her anger toward everyone and everything.

She lays down on her back, and she remembers his dazzling smile and taunting sarcasm.

_"And who are you pretending to be?"  
_

_"Bruce Wayne. Eccentric Billionaire."_

The tear leaks from the corner of her eye before she can stop it and she presses her palms against her eyes, trying to stop more from falling.

"Not crying over me, are you?"

The rasp of his voice makes her heart drop and she gasps, sitting up immediately and looking to the source.

He's trying to lift her window, pain written all over his face. His cape is covered in holes, singed away. His mask is broken. His suit, destroyed, rips and tears all over, exposing his body beneath, which is covered in gashes and blood.

"Bruce?" She whispers, not sure what she's seeing is true.

"Yeah...you mind?" He gasps out, growling with bared teeth as he keeps trying to lift her window. She runs over and lifts it with ease and he grunts and stumbles in, dropping to the floor and crying out in pain.

"Bruce! What-How are you-"

"Selina?"

Selina glances up at the door and runs over, locking it just as Holly begins to turn the knob.

"Selina, what's going on?"

"Nothing, Hol, go back to bed!" Selina croaks out, running back to Bruce. She removes what remains of his mask gently and he smiles up at her, his face covered in gashes, but still the same face she knows.

"Hi."

"How are you alive?" She whispers in shock.

"Autopilot." He whispers back. She glares at him.

"You told me it didn't have autopilot." She says calmly through bared teeth.

"Well...I lied." He gasps out, trying to sit up. He winces and she wraps her arm around his waist and helps him to her bed. He lays down in it and she dashes to her cupboard and pulls out a first aid kit.

"I'm hurt." He says, wincing. She raises an eyebrow.

"I can see."

"No...Miranda...I mean, Tahlia...she stabbed me." Bruce says, pointing to his side. Selina crouches down and takes a look and sees blood oozing out of a deep wound.

"Oh, for god's sake...tell me again how you're still alive?" She mutters.

"I've been through worse." He breathes, laying back down.

"Come on, I'll drive you to the hospital-"

"No." She looks at him and seethes.

"Bruce, you're hurt. Badly. You need a doc-"

"They all think Batman is dead."

"Fine, then go as Bruce Wayne-"

"They all think he's dead, too. I want it to stay that way." She looks at him in shock.

"What are you talking about?" He gazes up at her, his expression torn and sad...but relieved.

"They think I'm dead, Selina. It's over. I don't have to be Batman anymore..."

"But I thought that's what you wanted?" She asks, confused. He chuckles and closes his eyes, sagging against the pillows.

"I'm tired, Selina. And I'm broken. I can't be the Batman Gotham needs anymore. I just want...to be free. And now I am. Granted, I didn't plan on 'dying'...but this is it. It's over...Gotham doesn't need Batman anymore...just like it doesn't need Bruce Wayne anymore. I'm free."

He suddenly lifts his hand and tucks back a strand of her hair behind her ear and she feels goosebumps go up the flesh on her arms. She holds back a shudder and looks at him.

"So that's it? You're...hanging up the suit? You're leaving Gotham behind? You're...leaving Batman behind?" She whispers. He smiles.

"I'm leaving everything behind. I'm...I'm getting a fresh start. A clean slate." He says, a knowing glint in his eyes. Selina's heart drops and she gazes at him.

"A clean slate..." She repeats, and he nods. She lets out a shaky breath, then stands.

"Take off the suit."

He raises a quizzical eyebrow and she rolls her eyes.

"Well, you don't want me to take you to a hospital, everyone thinks you're dead." He chuckles again and she helps him take off the Bat suit. He has bruised skin and cuts and there's blood spilling all over her bed but she doesn't care.

He's alive.

She sees the sweat building up on his chest and forehead and frowns.

"We need to get you in the tub."

"The what?" He groans.

"Come on." She wraps her arm around his waist again and carries him into the bathroom next to Holly's bed, making sure not to wake her flatmate. She locks the door, then seats Bruce on the toilet and begins filling the tub with warm water.

As it fills, she bends down and helps him remove his boots. He chuckles and she glares up at him.

"I take no pleasure in this...I'm only helping you 'cause you're hurt."

"Sure you are." She has half a mind to slap him, but she doesn't.

"Keep it down...I don't want Holly waking up." She mutters. She turns off the tap just as the water reaches half way and helps Bruce get into the tub, wearing nothing but his underwear.

"Looks like that Batsuit's good for something." She says sarcastically, raising an eyebrow as she takes in how his underwear has barely even been touched by whatever ruined his suit. He grins cheekily, then settles into the water. He hisses at the heat, but eventually groans in pleasure and sinks into it. Blood begins staining the water and she grabs a cloth and rinses it in hot water, then hands it to him.

"Hold this to the stab wound, and don't move it."

"I know how to stop a wound from bleeding." He says, rolling his eyes, but he does as she says. She grabs another cloth, rinses it in hot water, and begins dabbing his other, less serious wounds gently.

He winces, but says nothing, staring only at her.

She's silent for awhile, simply cleaning his wounds, but eventually, curiosity gets the better of her.

She clears her throat. "So...you gonna tell me how you got out of The Bat?" She asks. He sighs.

"Autopilot. I got out about thirty or so seconds before it detonated."

"Judging by your suit, I'm gonna say that wasn't quick enough?" She says sarcastically. He raises an eyebrow.

"I landed near Gotham in the middle of the water...I didn't think it would get me, but it did."

"Mmm..."

They're both silent, Selina still drinking in the fact that he isn't dead. That he is in front of her, right now...alive and breathing.

"I'm sorry I lied to you." He whispers. She bites her lip and nods.

"Well, I lied to you and led you to a trap, which had you disappear to god knows where for four months...I think we're even." She says, letting out a little guilty chuckle.

"You made up for that by helping me out there...you came back."

"I wasn't going to." She says quietly. He nods.

"I know."

She looks into his eyes, sees the hurt and the pain, but also, the strength and the determination...and above all else, fatigue.

He needs a holiday...

"Come on. Up you get. I think I need to stitch that wound." She says, tearing her gaze away from his uncomfortably.

He gets up slowly, dripping wet and sits down on the toilet seat, grabbing a towel and drying himself off. Selina grabs a bottle of iodine from the cabinet and dips the cloth into it, then begins cleaning his stab wound.

Bruce clenches his teeth as she cleans his wound and she stops herself from laughing.

"The great Batman can't handle a little pain?"

"I can handle plenty of pain...I just didn't see that coming." He says, frowning. She chuckles, then grabs a lighter and begins burning the needle and grabs the thread inside the first aid kit.

"Wow...you've got everything in there."

"Never know when something might go wrong when it comes to my little adventures." She says cheekily. He scoffs and she looks down at his stab wound. It's still bleeding a little, and she sighs.

"You ready?"

"Go for it." He says, shrugging. She begins sewing the wound, and he begins applying bandages to the other cuts on his body, barely fazed by the needle going through the skin on his lower back.

"So what are you gonna do now?" She asks him. He sighs.

"I think I need a holiday." He says, chuckling. She nods behind his back and he looks down at her.

"Come with me." He whispers. She gazes up at him in shock and he smiles. "Please?" He adds. She lets out a shaky breath.

"Bruce, I-"

"You wanted a clean slate just as much as I do. This is your chance. This is our chance."

She snips off the thread from his wound and places a bandage on it and gazes up at him.

Her whole life...that's all she's ever wanted. To start anew. To have everything she'd had in her past be wiped away...

And here he was, offering it to her on a silver plate.

She's never had anything given to her like this...she's worked tooth and nail for everything she's gotten...but this has just been handed to her.

"It's not that simple. It never is." She says stubbornly. She gets up and goes to walk away but he grabs her hand.

"This time it is. It's over, Selina. Batman is gone. Bruce Wayne is gone. Nothing's keeping me here. And nothing's keeping you here. So let's just go." He says desperately. His hand feels warm clutched in hers.

"It's never this easy! You can't just walk in here and say we can leave! There's always a catch, Bruce. Someone has to die, someone has to get screwed over...always." She says angrily.

"We've been screwed over long enough." Bruce whispers.

She feels her eyes betray her and hot tears spill down her cheeks. She purses her lips and looks away from him.

"It's never this easy..." She whispers, wiping the tears away.

It can't be this easy for her to just leave...her whole life she's been struggling for survival...and now Bruce comes in and gives her everything she's ever wanted with a few simple words.

She feels his hands on her shoulders and she gasps involuntarily. His hands slide down her arms gently, and goosebumps erupt on her skin. He clutches her hands in his and leans in.

"Come with me." He whispers against her ear. She shivers as his chest touches her back, and for a split second, she leans against him.

Then she pulls away and turns, gazing at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Who said I want a clean slate with you?" She asks sarcastically. He smiles gently.

"You came back. That's all the proof I need."

Dammit.

She looks at him, her gaze lingering on the wounds all over his body.

She isn't sure how she feels about Bruce Wayne. Or Batman, for that matter.

One is an egotistical maniac who was everything she despised and more, but there was just something about him...

And one is a masked hero who went out of his way to save the lives of people who barely even care for him.

He was like two sides of the same coin. And she didn't know if she hated one, or loved both.

"You can't travel in your condition."

"Sure I can. I've been worse, trust me."

"And have you even thought of the fact that you're supposed to be dead-"

"That's been handled."

"Really?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. Bruce laughs, then grabs her hand and takes her back to her bedroom. He shuts the door behind them, then points to the closet.

"Open it."

She does, and finds two duffel bags inside. She opens them both.

One is filled with cash, the other, with clothes and papers.

"What-"

"Fake passports, ID's...everything I need."

She looks up at him in shock, then amusement.

"You've had this planned for months, haven't you?"

"Of course not. I didn't think it would happen this soon, but I've always had those ready...in case anyone discovered I was Batman."

"So that's your plan? You're just gonna leave and become a new person?" She asks. He chuckles, and nods.

"Yeah."

"And how am I supposed to come with you?"

He raises an eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure someone in your profession has a fake passport lying around somewhere."

"Maybe I want to keep the name Selina Kyle." She says, turning away from him. He chuckles again.

"Well then I guess it's good that I got you that clean slate then, huh?"

She turns around.

"What-"

"No criminal record. Clean slate. As far as Gotham and the world is concerned, Selina Kyle never existed." He says simply. Her eyes go wide and she clears her throat.

"I...but-"

"I told you I would do it. And I did." He whispers. Tears began falling again, but this time, she doesn't stop them.

"How?" She whispers, her shoulders sagging in relief.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you've got a clean slate...you're just as free as I am."

"You think I'm going to trust that-"

"Have I ever given you any reason not to trust me, Selina?" He whispers, stepping forward. She scoffs.

"You lied to me about who you were."

"To protect you." He says, sighing.

"I can look after myself."

"I know that."

"You can't do this to me, Bruce."

"Do what?"

"Drop this on me and expect me to agree." She says, stepping back from him angrily.

"I'm just giving you what you want. A new life." He says.

She shakes her head. She couldn't do this...it was too easy...

"For once, Selina...don't make things hard for yourself. Just come with me." He whispers. He takes her hand, and she doesn't recoil.

"Come with me." He whispers again, touching her cheek lightly.

"Bruce..." She whispers, her heart racing. He leans forward and presses his lips gently to hers and she leans against him.

Can it be...that after everything she's done...everything she's worked so hard for...this is her reward?

Why would she be rewarded with something as amazing as this? Freedom...when all she has done is steal and lie?

"Why?" she asks, pulling away from him.

"Why what?" He breathes.

"Why do you want me to come with you?" She asks, looking into his eyes. She strokes her cheek bone and wraps an arm around her waist.

"Because I need you." He says.

"And why do you need me?" She asks. He chuckles, then shrugs.

"I have no idea...I just do." She laughs and presses her lips against his jaw.

"That's what you're going with?" She whispers against his skin. He laughs.

"Yeah."

She shakes her head and steps back, then rolls her eyes.

"I guess...it wouldn't be so bad coming with you." His eyes glint with excitement and he nods.

"It won't be."

She dashes to her cupboard and begins filling a suitcase with anything she can get her hands on.

She's free. Selina Kyle from her past doesn't exist. Selina Kyle in her future does.

She can't believe it's over.

She bends over the suitcase and pauses for a second, trying to process it all...

Years of lying and cheating...gone forever.

She chuckles to herself, then nods and clutches her heart.

"It's over..." She whispers to herself. She laughs in relief, then stands.

"Where are we going anyway?" She asks. His hand touches the small of her back and she turns to see he's dressed himself in a suit.

"Hmm...Bruce Wayne again, huh?"

He grins, then leans in and kisses the corner of her mouth lightly.

"Florence." She rolls her eyes.

"Italy."

"Italy." He says, nodding. She shrugs.

"I suppose it could work."


End file.
